Parking in south Delhi may soon cost 100 per hour

Officials said the move discourage commuters from using their vehicles would decongest roads. Currently, the parking fee in south Delhi is 20 per hour, up to five hours. There is a standard fee of 100 for 24 hours.

In a bid to motivate residents to use multi-level facilities, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) plans to increase parking charges on surface lots up to 100 per hour

Parking a car in south Delhi may soon be costlier. In a bid to motivate residents to use multi-level facilities, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) plans to increase parking charges on surface lots up to 100 per hour.

Officials said the move discourage commuters from using their vehicles would decongest roads. Currently, the parking fee in south Delhi is 20 per hour, up to five hours. There is a standard fee of 100 for 24 hours.

Senior officials, however, said the proposal was yet to be finalised and an elaborate report had been sought.

“The increase in tariff would only be at surface-level parking spaces around multi-level parking lots. We want to popularise the multi-level parking lots and tackle congestion at major markets. Discussions are still at a preliminary stage and we have asked our officials to compile an elaborate report,” Radhe Shyam Sharma, chairman of SDMC’s standing committee, said.

The SDMC has 78 surface-level parking lots that can accommodate around 17,000 vehicles. In addition, it has eight multi-level parkings, though five of these are still under construction. The three operational multilevel facilities are in Munirka, Hauz Khas and Kalkaji but these remain empty most of the time.

“People have a wrong idea that the multi-level parking is expensive. Easy and cheap availability of parking space on roads is another major factor for these lots remaining empty,” an official said.

A report by a high-level committee constituted by the Union urban development ministry suggests that parking fee be hiked. The report highlighted how vehicles spill onto the roads, as majority of the parking lots were on the surface.

“For a city like Delhi, land should be treated as a sacred commodity. Parking charges should reflect the price of the space and help curtail the demand,” the report stated.

The report suggested that multi-level parkings be promoted to curtail parking on streets. The report stated pricing as a major factor for commuters to choose multi-level parking lots over those on roads.